Beyond the Stars
by Lisa Moulton
Summary: Lisa's holiday in Paris turns into a rescue mission for a man in a mask.
1. Holiday in Paris

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Author's Notes and Disclaimers: Here we go! This is the story of how AL met Erik. It came to me in a dream: I was protecting Erik from being attacked.**

**My Phantom is Gerard Butler, and the description of his face came from the movie. I used a website to find out what women were wearing in 1860.**

**In-Joke: Lisa's time traveler friend from the future is the Doctor from _Doctor Who_ (this is also why she can understand French). Around this time in her timeline, she was traveling with the Sixth Doctor.**

_Chapter One: Holiday in Paris_

These clothes, she decided, were ridiculous. She was wearing a chemise and stockings (which weren't bad…in an obnoxious sort of way), a corset (which was one of the most annoying things ever), drawers (which were absolutely non-essential, in her opinion), rather snug lace-up boots, a shirt and hoop to billow out the nearly floor-length dress (which she wouldn't be caught dead in during modern times), gloves and a very irritating bonnet covering her long brown hair she had pinned up in a rather exasperating way. Yes, absolutely ridiculous. Ever her glasses had been switched to period frames.

She hated all this blending-in stuff, but it was 1860 and she didn't want to cause problems.

_He doesn't bother to blend in,_ she thought to herself, kicking at a stone with her boot.

Her name is Lisa, and she has been dropped off in nineteenth century Paris by a time traveler friend of hers. She'd seen the Louvre and the Mona Lisa, but the Eiffel Tower hadn't been built yet, unfortunately. There was one thing she hadn't seen so far, however: the _Palais Garnier_, or the Paris Opera House.

She wanted to, though. She'd heard through the grapevine about the place being haunted and was instantly intrigued. In fact, the minds of almost everyone around the huge building buzzed with thoughts about an "Opera Ghost" or "Phantom of the Opera". Her enhanced hearing also picked up snippets of conversation about the Phantom. She wanted to know for sure. For that, a trip to the _Opera Populaire_ was in store.

You have to have figured out by now, dear reader, that Lisa isn't quite like normal people. She is, in fact, what one would call an alien. She is from the planet Alnilam, and a time traveler from the future.

Underneath all her period garb, she is 5' 3" tall with waist-length brown hair, brown eyes, and glasses. Her silver ankh necklace was hidden beneath the layers of clothing, and her wings were invisible. On a previous trip to Paris, she'd heard tell of the Opera Ghost and, when she had the chance, asked the friends she was time traveling with to drop her off so she could investigate.

Well, Lisa decided, there was no use standing around dawdling. She had the opportunity to go to the Opera House, and she was going go to. The show itself didn't really interest her. She wasn't into opera. She wasn't there for the show. She was there to gain information, be it verbally or mentally, on this so-called Opera Ghost.

Verbally was tough, for the music and singing was loud, especially to her. Mentally was also hard, mostly because of the swarms of people around her unwittingly projecting their thoughts out.

Lisa sighed. Nineteenth century thoughts were so _boring_! Not one person had the flavor or spice of those from the twenty-first. All they were worried about were jobs and housework and children and whether the show was going to start on time and stupid stuff like that. She couldn't pick up one thought about the Phantom. It was starting to become annoying.

"I don't care who he is, I want him out!"

_Ah-hah!_

Zeroing in on that one voice to drown out the din of everything else going on around her, Lisa listened in. It was a man who was talking.

"Madame Giry, I know you took him in, but he simply cannot stay! I cannot have someone…someone like _that_ living underneath my Opera House!"

"_Monsieur_ Lefevre," answered a woman's voice, "he's not harming anyone! He lives in the catacombs and keeps to himself. You have already tried to make him leave…may I remind you – "

"Madame Giry," interrupted the man, Lefevre, "_I_ am the manager of this Opera House and _I_ say he cannot stay!"

_Well, well_, thought Lisa, _so he's in the catacombs, eh? Well, I think it's time I go downstairs_…

_End chapter one._


	2. The Search

**In-Joke: Cesar is the horse from the book (and movie, technically). I got the info from Two: The Search **

Lisa knew becoming invisible would drain the power and would have to recharge afterwards, but it was the only way she could be sure she'd make it downstairs without being seen. It seemed that Mme. Giry knew where the Phantom was, so, while she was still sitting in the audience, Lisa concentrated as hard as she could over the music and singing to find out how to get to the catacombs.

She found out that there was a trap door backstage, which led to a bridge, which led to an underground tunnel ending at a lake. The only way across the lake was by boat.

Well, that was for humans.

Lisa slipped away during intermission and activated her invisibility power. She started backstage, dodging bodies and props, and searched for the door. When it was clear, she opened it and slipped through.

The corridor she ended up in was made of stone and lined with candelabras. As she was alone, she cut the invisibility so it wouldn't drain any faster than it needed to. She made her way down the corridor, using her wings for light. As she walked, among her echoing footsteps, she thought she heard a nicker of a horse, along with the munching and crunching of something eating.

"Huh…" Lisa said to herself, walking towards the sound. Peeking around the wall, she spotted a black horse eating hay in a corner.

The equine looked up and whickered at her.

"Hi," she said. "You live down here?" Yes, she could speak to animals. They could always see her for what she really was.

The horse nodded. **"_The Masked One takes good care of me. I'm Cesar."_**

" 'Masked One'?"

**"_The one who lives across the water. I know him by no other name."_**

"Cesar, I really want to meet him. Can you show me the way?"

Cesar tugged on the rope tethering him to the wall. **"_Go straight down this way, down the ramp…you'll come to a lake. Cross it, straight. Beyond that, I don't know."_**

"Thanks." She started walking, then turned and looked at the horse over her shoulder. "Are you happy down here?"

**"_Very. I do not wish to be set free."_**

"Fair enough."

Lisa continued on her way, just as Cesar said to. She walked down a ramp and stopped at the edge of the lake, then she used a little telekinesis to hover herself over the water. She couldn't fly; it was too narrow for her wingspan.

She followed the water straight until she came to a crossroads of sorts. She paused, bracing herself against a stone outcropping so she wouldn't have to levitate and listen at the same time. She could hear movement coming from the leftmost tunnel, so she headed that way.

At last, she came to a large gate. Through it she could see candles, a bed, an organ, and lots of music sheets. There was a boat at the edge of the water, and sitting at the organ was a figure.

He was well-dressed for being down here. He had on the traditional men's garb of 1860, though he wasn't wearing the layers men usually have over their shirt.

Lisa was trying to decide how to get through the gate when she heard crashing coming from up the tunnel.

_End chapter two._


	3. The Attack

_Chapter Three: The Attack_

It was lucky Lisa had been clinging to the gate when she activated her invisibility again, otherwise, she would have dropped into the water. These clothes were heavy enough; she didn't need them waterlogged.

From up the tunnel came splashing and crashing so loud it caused the Phantom to look up. The right side of his face was covered by a white mask and his black hair was slicked back. He didn't look half bad, Lisa thought.

The Phantom went to the gate, looking straight through Lisa's invisible body, searching for the source of the sounds.

Lisa turned and saw a man, looking as if he'd fallen into the water completely, heading for the gate and carrying a gun. Lisa tensed, but the Phantom just stood with his arms crossed there at the edge of the lake, seemingly unafraid. Even his mind was calm.

"Welcome, _monsieur_," he said. "M. Lefevre has sent another to get rid of me, I see. I believe he's forgotten what happened to the last one." He picked up a rope from one of the statues. The end was tied into a noose. "How did you like my trap doors? I designed them specially to make it difficult to make it this far. I commend you on your persistence."

_Trap doors?_ Lisa thought. _Plural?_

The assailant poked the barrel of the gun through one of the holes in the gate. "I assure you, _monsieur_, I am an excellent marksman."

"Of that, I have no doubt," said the Phantom. "I should think Lefevre would want his money's worth. However, if I alter my position slightly, your aim will be off."

"I do not need to enter there to shoot you," said the assailant. He started walking up and down the gate, adjusting his aim. Lisa heard a click and a creak and, suddenly, the gate started to slide upward. He must have tripped an outside switch.

Lisa panicked when the gate started its slow ascent. She had to move and move quickly. What she was about to do probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but she had to otherwise she'd be trapped or squished, whichever.

Below, the Phantom moved to a lever, most likely to close the gate, but the assailant was too quick. The two struggled, the Phantom trying to keep the gun from pointing at him.

Concentrating with everything she had, she both cut the invisibility and shape-shifted into a fish. Luckily, the two men below were too distracted to see her plop into the water. There, she rested for a few moments, gathering strength for what she had to do next. Flipping her tail, she breached the water and landed, flopping, on the shore. She shifted back before she could suffocate.

When she got her normal eyes back, she turned to the sparring pair. The assailant was gaining the upper hand, pushing the gun barrel towards the Phantom's chest. Lisa couldn't stand there and do nothing any longer. She tried to use her telekinesis to pull them apart or knock the gun out of their hands, but she didn't have the strength due to the combination of powers she'd been using.

The two men managed to twist themselves around each other, the assailant putting the Phantom in a sort of headlock. The Phantom, however, managed to slip away, although he knocked off the mask, taking the wig he was also wearing with it.

The assailant caught sight of the Phantom's face, eyes wide. The Phantom took that momentary hesitation to wrap the noose around the other man's neck. Choking, the assailant fired his gun, the shots going wild. Lisa herself flung herself out of the way of one.

Both men fell to the ground at the same time, the assailant dead and the Phantom unconscious. It was over.

_End chapter three._


	4. Erik

_Chapter Four: Erik_

Lisa turned to the prone figure behind her. He was lying sprawled on the floor, unconscious, breathing heavily, with a gunshot wound in his shoulder and side. On the right side of his face, she could see clearly, now, was very red up to about an inch higher than his hairline. The skin was scarred and malformed and his lower right eyelid was stretched lower than normal.

She cast one glance at the body of the attacker, still with the noose around his neck. She hedged for a few minutes, considering. She finally convinced herself that the Phantom had strangled him in self defense.

With difficulty due to her skirts, Lisa knelt beside the Phantom's still body. The blood pooling out of his wounds were staining his white shirt.

This was going to be difficult. The bullets were still inside him and the wounds had to be closed. She wasn't sure if she could do both, but she had to try.

Lisa took a deep breath and focused all her energies into accomplishing the task she had to do. Placing her hands over his body, she activated her healing powers and tried, at the same time, to visualize the bullets leaving his body. Her hands began to glow and she could feel the energy start to lift the bullets out.

Unfortunately, the process caused shooting pain to travel throughout the Phantom's body and he awoke, crying out in agony. This made Lisa lose her concentration and she lost her balance, panting, falling onto her side but managing to catch herself before falling flat on her face.

The Phantom's eyes – they were blue and the right, she noticed, was slightly clouded – trained on her and he started. He tried to move away, but the pain from his wounds kept him from going too far. He saw her wings and stared. The emotions and projected thoughts coming from him were so disjointed that Lisa couldn't read them if she tried. His heart was pounding and his breathing was coming in quick, ragged breaths. He probably thought she was some kind of an angel. Everyone did. It was rather annoying, really. Then he noticed he was missing his wig and mask and one hand flew to the right side of his face to cover the disfigurement.

"Relax," she tried to sooth him, speaking gently, and also trying to regain her dignity after tumbling over as she did. "Listen, I can help you, but you have to relax."

"Who…what are you?" he managed to ask.

"My name is Lisa. I'm from…another world." She emphasized her point by flaring her wings a little. "I can heal you, but you have to put your hand down. I've already seen what you look like. I really don't care. It doesn't bother me, honestly. Let me help you."

He considered it for a long moment, and it was probably the pain he was in that ultimately made the decision for him. He slowly and very reluctantly lowered his hand from his face.

"Thank you," she said, smiling, trying to calm him down. "Please hold still. I have to concentrate, and this is going to be difficult. It's going to hurt, and I'm sorry."

The Phantom said nothing, and Lisa started the healing process again. He gasped and stifled his cries when the bullets started to leave his body once more, but surprisingly did his hardest not to move too much. Beads of sweat had broken out on Lisa's forehead by the time the bullets came out. She threw them across the room and they clattered to the ground, one splashing into the lake. That done, her last task was to close and heal the wounds, but her concentration was wavering. She wasn't sure she could pull off a complete heal.

Finally, the glow faded from her hands and she lost her balance again, this time catching herself before she fell completely. "All right," she said, breathless. "The brunt of the damage has been healed…but, I'm afraid you're going to have some scarring…I can't do anything about it…" She paused to catch her breath.

More disjointed thoughts flitted through the Phantom's mind. He was silent for a good minute before tentatively asking, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I will be." Noticing he was checking his shoulder and side, seeing nothing remaining of his previous injuries but a few scars, she anticipated his next question. "No, I can't heal your face. Something like that is too difficult and complicated for my powers."

"You can read minds." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes…well, sort of. I can read what people project, or if I really try. I'm too tired to really try, now, though." She tried to stand, but her arms wouldn't support her weight at the moment. It was this momentary weakness that annoyed her the most. Feeling helpless was one of the worst things she could think of. She sighed, then looked at the Phantom. He still seemed very uneasy, especially since he was still without his mask, and had to be wondering just what was going on.

"I overheard M. Lefevre talking to Mme. Giry," she explained. "I think the guy who shot you was a lackey of his, or something. Someone he hired," she elaborated when he gave her an odd look.

"You speak very strangely," he said.

Lisa chuckled. "I know. I'll explain if you'll tell me one thing. What's your name? Everyone seems to refer to you as the Phantom of the Opera."

She could almost see the gears turning in his head as he weighed his options. She _had_ saved his life, after all, plus she wasn't fazed at all by his face. So, he answered, "Erik."

_End chapter four._


	5. Forging a Friendship

**In-Jokes: Erik's tale of his past is from the movie.**

_Chapter Five: Forging a Friendship_

It had taken the better part of an hour for Lisa to explain that she'd come from another planet, as well as from the future. She told Erik that she'd heard a lot about him and was curious, and pointed out that it was a good thing she'd come down here, otherwise he might be dead by now.

Erik helped her up and retrieved his fallen wig and mask, but didn't put them back on right away. Lisa said to him, "You can wear them if it makes you more comfortable, but your face doesn't bother me, really."

"Why?" he asked. "Everyone…everyone thinks I'm a monster." He turned away and put them on.

Lisa frowned. "I come from a time where things like that aren't really a big deal."

Erik laughed humorlessly, his back still towards her. "I find it hard to believe that such a place exists…"

"I'm sorry," was all she could say. She found the way people had been treating Erik absolutely awful. It was another one of the things she hated about the past: people were overly prejudiced. This was still around the time that slavery was still prevalent. She hated it, but there was, of course, nothing she could do. If she could just do what she could to make this one individual's – to make Erik's – life a little brighter before her friend came to pick her up, then that would be score one for her.

"I don't find you a monster," she said. "I don't save just anyone, you know."

She was smiling when he turned around, and he searched her eyes, probably determined to find an untruth in them, but, of course, there was none. She was very sincere. She found him handsome, in fact, underneath the redness of his face.

Lisa went to him and took his hand in hers. She felt him trembling. "What?" she asked, confused. "No one's held your hand before?"

"Not like this…"

"Not even your mother?"

Erik pulled away. "My mother feared and loathed me," he said bitterly. "She gave me to a traveling fair when I was young. I was the 'Devil's Child'." His voice started to break. "I wore a sack over my head…I was whipped…I still have the scars on my back. For years, I was a sideshow oddity. Finally, I'd had enough." He walked over to a table, where a figure of a monkey in Persian robes sat next to a papier-mâché barrel organ-shaped music box. "I was nine…my old master came into my cage while a group of girls were outside the bars, along with the usual group of oddity-seekers. The sack was pulled off and I was whipped while the spectators laughed and jeered. When my old master left the cage…I strangled him. Mme. Giry was one of the girls. She helped me escape and hid me here."

Lisa listened with a growing distaste for the human race. Just because his face was different than other people, he was treated like that. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. She then reminded herself it was 1860 and that was the way things happened in this century.

That didn't mean she had to like it, however. She went to Erik and took his hand again "Not everyone's like that," she said softly. "I'm not. I've never been. Where I come from, people with a condition like this – " She gestured to his face. " – they live normal lives. They don't have to hide."

Erik shook his head, finding it hard to believe. This was, of course, the only life he'd ever known.

Lisa reached for his mask. "Can I see? I mean, _really_ see? You already know it doesn't bother me."

He considered, his eyes to the floor, for a moment, then looked up and pulled off the mask. He tensed when Lisa brought her hand up to touch the redness.

"Shh," she said softly. "Sit down. It's okay."

He sat on the bench for the organ, trembling at her touch, as she gently ran her hands along his face.

The condition, it seemed, was all scar tissue. It felt thick, tough and leathery with a few rough spots like fine sandpaper. His eyelid on that side was, indeed, stretched downward, showing more of the lower white of the eye. His scalp was also slightly raised just in front of his ear, and his right eyebrow was barely there. Underneath the wig, his light brown hair was thin on the side the deformity – and Lisa didn't even consider it that – was on and a little thicker on the other side.

Erik sat, still shaking, not even daring to shut his eyes and barely breathing. He didn't know what to think of do as Lisa's hands gently caressed his face.

"It's really not that bad," she said as she ran her thumb over his missing eyebrow. "Does it hurt at all? No, I guess not, if you wear a mask over it."

He wasn't even paying attention, so focused was he on her touch. He finally couldn't restrain himself any longer. One hand flew up to press hers tightly to his cheek. He squeezed his eyes shut and a few tears slipped out.

Lisa wiped them away. "Hey, shh, it's okay." She'd always had a soft spot for vulnerability in men. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. He went rigid in her arms until she bent low and kissed him.

_End chapter five._


	6. Get OffA My Back!

_Chapter Six: Get Off-A My Back!_

Lisa felt Erik's mind spasm; it felt as if it were going to short-circuit. This caused her to pull away and look at him questioningly. He said, "I have never felt a kiss before…"

"Oh," she replied, smiling. "In that case…" She kissed him again, and this time he reciprocated.

That tender moment lasted a good minute, Erik savoring every last second of it. He'd never felt his way about anyone before. It felt good…to have someone who actually cared about him.

Lisa hadn't planned on having these feelings for him, really. Like so many times in her past, she felt herself falling in love. Some part of her screamed that she wouldn't be able to stay; that her friend was going to be back to pick her up, but she silenced that part.

She decided that, if she had to leave, she at least had to make sure Erik would be okay when she was gone. That meant getting Lefevre to leave him alone. Also, she had to tell him she couldn't stay. She owed him that much.

Breaking the embrace, she said, "Erik, my friend will be picking me up to take me back to the future at some point."

"What?" he said, disappointment and despair coating his words. "No…Lisa, I just…we just…"

"I know," she replied, running her hand though his hair. "I know, and it's not fair, I agree. But, don't worry. I'll take care of you as long as I have here. The first thing I'll do is make sure Lefevre won't bother you again. Can you lift that body?"

Lisa had figured that simply telling Lefevre wouldn't make him listen, especially since this was 1860 and she looked like a simple young woman. Women in this time were a "seen and not heard" member of the human race. Yet another reason to dislike the era.

Night had fallen and the Opera House was empty when Lisa and Erik emerged from the catacombs, Erik carrying a sheet with the body of the assailant wrapped inside.

True, actions like this were a little against Lisa's morals, but scaring the living daylights out of someone to make a point appealed to the mischievous side of her brain. After all, there's no point in being gown up if you can't be childish sometimes.

Besides, she didn't have a lot of time, and shock tactics was the only thing she thought would be the fastest.

They made their way to the rafters, where Erik tied the body to the railing, threw it over and left it to dangle where anyone on the stage could see it.

"The cleaning crew will be the first to arrive," Erik said as they walked away from the dangling corpse. "Very early in the morning. They will raise the alarm when they find the body. They will most likely go below to look for me. They did last time."

"Last time?" Lisa echoed.

"This is not the first time Lefevre has sent someone to drive me out. The last time, though, he hadn't brought a gun. I had to fight him, as well."

"You killed him, didn't you?"

"In self defense!" Erik insisted. They'd sat down in the theater. He clenched his hands into fists. "I did not…Lisa, I _do not_ want to leave. I have nowhere to go."

Lisa was silent for a moment. She wanted very much to say, "Would you go with me?", but something in her mind stopped her. It reasoned that what she was doing before and will be doing again when she leaves would be too much for Erik to handle.

Her twin hearts gave a pang of remorse that she was going to leave him. She vowed that, someday, she and Erik would reunite. She didn't know how, she didn't know when, but she'd make sure it happened.

"All right," she said. "So, we just have to make sure, when they look for you, they don't find you. Well, I can help with that as long as my invisibility has recharged. If not…I can still shape-shift. I can scare them pretty good. I don't want to leave here and have something happen to you."

_She really does care_… Erik thought, unknowingly projecting.

"Of _course_ I care!" she insisted, standing, her voice echoing through the empty auditorium and bouncing off the golden statues. "Great Orion, Erik, I lov – " She bit back what she was about to say, then seriously thought about reconsidering that action. Would it be so terrible that she told him she loved him? Would it do more harm than good? Erik's emotional state was so fragile…she didn't want to do anything that would hurt him.

_Oh, forget the consequences!_ she finally thought. "Erik," she said softly, cupping his cheek in her hand, "I love you."

If there was one thing that happened to Lisa easily, it was falling in love. Erik was so vulnerable and highly misunderstood. She'd always had a soft spot for such traits. Even the way he sat there trembling just attracted her to him more.

"You lo…you love me? And, still, you will leave me?" Erik looked at the floor. "Can you not take me with you?"

She sighed and sat back down. "I wish I could, really, I do. But where I'm going is way too dangerous for you. You're a man from Paris in the eighteen-hundreds. Taking you with me might give you a future shock so bad you won't be able to handle it. We'll meet again, I promise. Come on, let's get things ready for when all hell breaks loose in the morning."

_End chapter six._


	7. Retributions

**In-Jokes: "All right...all right!" is from _The Lion King_. AL and Erik didn't become linked simply because I forgot about it, plus they're gonna become linked in the sequel.**

_Chapter Seven: Retributions_

Lisa's words were an understatement. Chaos ensued the moment the cleaning women stepped on the stage. She and Erik were standing off to the side, Lisa holding his hand and her invisibility power keeping them both out of sight. Keeping them both invisible would drain the power twice as fast as it would normally the longer she kept it on, so she hoped things would turn out that she wouldn't have to cut it and not be able to use it again.

Lefevre came rushing in and began shouting orders to the workers. "Call the authorities! That monstrosity will not get away with this a second time!"

Erik's hand tightened around Lisa's and she cringed. "Erik, please ease up a little…you're crushing my fingers." He did, but only just.

"We'll go below and flush him out! I do not care what Mme. Giry says or thinks! He's a murderer and must be dealt with!"

Lefevre organized a party – Lisa noticed that Mme. Giry was absent this day – and they made their way down into the catacombs. Lisa and Erik had hid Cesar, to make sure he wouldn't be harmed, and closed the gates. They, of course, could be opened from the outside, but, hopefully, no one would trip the switch as Erik's assailant had before.

Erik and Lisa followed them down and watched as they tried to get through the iron gates separating them from Erik's home. The 1860 Paris version of the police were also there. Lefevre had a group of at least seven or eight people, himself and the police included, and also one of the younger stagehands by the name of Joseph Buquet. All were armed with guns and torches.

"Try to find a switch!" ordered Lefevre. "This must be able to open from out here, otherwise, he'd be trapped."

The group started searching and Erik and Lisa exchanged a look. She was wondering how to deal with them. If their kiss earlier had linked them, she could have spoken to him telepathically. But, alas, her love for him wasn't mutually shared as of yet because of his experiences, and, so, they didn't become linked. It only happened when Lisa and someone shared a mutual love.

Knowing full well they couldn't take on eight people at once, Erik and Lisa bided their time, waiting for them to give up or something along those lines. Erik had his noose – he called it the _Punjab Lasso_ – held tightly in his free hand.

Lefevre and his group poked around the gates, trying to find the switch that would open them. Lisa and Erik stood near the switch, Lisa giving anyone who came near it a telekinetic nudge to steer them away. Something simple like a short push with telekinesis while invisible she could pull off, but nothing any more complicated than that.

"Hmm," Lisa murmured softly. "Maybe if they see you're not here, they'll go away."

"Or they will destroy my possessions…"

Lisa pursed her lips. "Good point."

"They can see well enough through the bars. Can I not just…" He held up the lasso.

"No," said Lisa. "You need two hands to work it, I'm not strong enough, and if you let go of me, you will become visible and be shot."

"It doesn't look as if he's here, _Monsieur _Lefevre," said Buquet, peeking through the holes in the gate.

"Hrmph!" Lefevre grumped and turned to the policeman in charge. "I want two guards posted here, in case he comes back! And two more at the entrance to the tunnel."

"Very well, _monsieur_," he replied. He ordered two of his guards to stay, and he and the others left the gates.

"All right," Lisa whispered. "I'll distract them…but try not to kill them, okay?"

Erik didn't answer. He, instead, wrapped the invisible noose around the neck of one of the guards. At the same time that she let go of Erik's hand, Lisa shape-shifted into a form she knew could withstand being shot, if it happened: a winged unicorn.

Erik tightened the noose while the other guard was distracted by Lisa rearing up in a corner. Very tempted to crush the man's windpipe, Erik only cut off his oxygen long enough for him to lose consciousness. Lisa herself gave a great kick to the other man's chest, not hard enough to kill but to create a bruise, not to mention knock him out.

When the two guards fell into the shallow water, Erik looked at Lisa, standing there as a red-furred unicorn with dragon-like wings. Her ruby-red horn glowed in the torchlight.

"Lisa…"

She nickered to him and turned to allow him to climb onto her back. This would allow faster travel than walking. It also would save her from having to shift back and forth in forms and drain her energy.

As this form was created using the forms of the unicorns she knew and had grown up with, it could speak and understand the language of humans. Thanks to the translator already in effect from her previous travels, Erik would hear French.

Together, Erik and Lisa made their way up the tunnel. They eventually could see the two guards Lefevre had posted at the entrance.

Erik slipped off her back and readied his noose. She charged ahead and distracted the two guards. A couple of kicks to stun them, together with Erik's lasso, and they were both down for the count. Lisa silently counted her blessing that neither one of them had been shot. Yet.

He jumped back onto her back and they trekked to find Lefevre. Lisa found that the slick floors and her hooves didn't match up too well. She went no faster than a quick walk, lest she fall and hut herself or Erik or both of them.

Lefevre was in the main area of the Opera House along with the police chief, Buquet and some of the other male stage hands.

"We'll get him yet, _monsieurs_," Lefevre was saying. "He'll be no match for your guards."

Lisa snorted and Erik said, "Is that so?"

They all whirled around and gaped at the sight or the Opera Ghost riding a winged unicorn.

"_Mon dieu_!" shouted the police chief

Lefevre recovered the quickest. "Don't just stand there! Shoot him!"

They began to pull out their weapons, but Erik and Lisa were too fast for them. Seemingly all in one motion, Erik had slid off her back and she charged the group. Most of them dodged out of the way of her deadly horn. A few took shots at them.

It was chaos. Lisa ended up taking a bullet in her shoulder. Trumpeting her rage, she started taking kicks at whoever came too close.

At last, with both Erik and Lisa wounded along with Lefevre and his group, the couple had Lefevre pinned to the ground. His cronies were unconscious and Lisa had her horn pointed at his heart and Erik's noose was around his neck.

"What is this? How did you get such a creature to protect you?" Lefevre demanded. "What are you?"

Erik, bleeding once again from his shoulder and this time also his arm, said, "I am the Opera Ghost. We will let you live if you agree to my demands."

"Like hell I w – " Lefevre choked as Lisa pushed her horn in further, almost but not quite breaking the skin, and Erik tightened the noose.

"All right…" he choked. "All right! What demands?"

"First of all," said Erik, "leave me alone. Secondly, I want Box Five left open for my use. Thirdly, twenty-thousand francs a month and I will write operas for you."

Lefevre glared at Erik. "Why would I want to take operas from y – "

Erik and Lisa tightened their attack again, cutting him off. Panicking, for they were now breaking the skin above his heart and cutting off his oxygen supply, Lefevre quickly nodded and kept nodding until they loosened up.

"Very well," he said, gasping for breath.

"Then call off your guards and make an announcement…" said Erik. "Tell them to leave me alone. We'll be watching."

Erik and Lisa let him loose and he scrambled away. Lisa shifted back to her normal form, the bullet she'd taken slipping out and falling to the ground. She then healed Erik's wounds, but explained, "I won't be able to make us invisible for a little while. Shape shifting and healing took away some of the energy I'd need."

Erik nodded and took her hand. They hid where they could hear everything that was going on. Erik knew the Opera House well and knew all the nooks and crannies where one could hide and spy on the people above his catacombs. It came from exploring the place at night, when no one was around.

"Attention!" Lefevre was saying. "Attention, everyone…I'm calling off the hunt for the Opera Ghost."

There were sounds of protests. Lefevre waited for them to quiet before continuing. "I have my reasons…please don't ask me why."

Erik and Lisa exchanged a look. Hopefully, what Lefevre was saying would stick after she was gone.

_End chapter seven._


	8. Goodbye

**In-Jokes: Landing at the Louvre is from _Doctor Who_, episode "City of Death". The glowing key is from the _Doctor Who_ episode, "Father's Day". The lines "Don't forget me"/"Don't you forget _me_" and " 'Til we meet again" are all from the _Doctor Who_ episode "The Hand of Fear".**

_Chapter Eight: Goodbye_

Erik and Lisa returned to the catacombs after Lefevre had given his announcement. They both seemed satisfied with what he was saying.

"Well," said Lisa, "I hope he'll be true to his word."

"I'll make sure he is."

"Yeah," she said, raising her hand up to the un-masked portion of his face. He shut his eyes as she ran her hand down his cheek, still relishing in the feel of her touch. He breathed deeply, and took her hand in his.

"Do you really have to leave?" he asked.

Lisa sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I do…but, we'll meet again. I promise. She squeezed his hand and pulled him into an embrace. He shuddered and held her tightly.

He suddenly jumped. "What is that?" he asked, pulling away.

"What?" she replied, then felt something warm around her neck. That was where she was keeping the key to her friend's time machine. She pulled out the chain where the piece of metal was dangling. The key was warm and glowing, signaling the return of her friend. However, he could land anywhere.

She clenched a fist around the key. "He's coming for me."

"No…"

"I'm sorry, Erik, I – " She broke off as a voice sounded in her head.

_Lisa? I'm waiting where I dropped you off._

_Yeah, okay._

"Lisa…?" Erik prodded.

"Yeah…he's over at the Louvre, waiting for me."

Erik was silent for a moment, then grabbed a cloak and hat. "I shall go with you."

Several minutes later, Erik and Lisa were walking hand-in-hand through town towards the Louvre gallery. Erik had his hat pulled down low over his head and his head bent low to keep everyone's eyes off of him.

Once inside the building, they made their way to an area with a little alcove. Inside that alcove was a blue box.

"What is this?" Erik asked.

"A time machine. It belongs to my friend. He's inside."

Erik tightened his grip on her, unwilling to let go. The door of the box opened and a voice came from inside. "Come along, Lisa. We have to go."

"Hang on," she said and turned to Erik. Her hearts gave a pang when she saw his eyes glistening with tears. "Erik…please don't cry…I can't stand it."

"Lisa, please…" he pleaded. "Don't leave me…or take me with you."

_Out of the question!_ her friend shouted telepathically to her.

_Shut up!_ she shouted right back, getting annoyed. _I know he can't come with us._

"Erik, if you could come, you know I would. We'll meet again, I promise. Ask Cesar to bring you to me. He knows how to find me. All animals do."

"Come along, Lisa," said her friend once more.

"All right!" she hissed over her shoulder. Sighing, she pulled Erik close and hugged him tight. He was shaking terribly. Hugging her back, unable to stop himself, he began to sob. This, in turn, caused Lisa to start to tear up. "Oh, Erik, please don't," she said.

He couldn't help it. "I just found you…you're the only person to shoe me true compassion…true…love…"

"I know, Erik." She pulled away and looked him in the eyes. "I _promise_ we'll see each other again. Ask Cesar. He'll bring you to me. Okay? You'll see." She wiped the tears from his eyes.

He caught her hand, pulled her close and kissed her. Lisa fully expected for them to become linked right then and there, but there was no _pop_. It was strange, but maybe he wasn't really as in love with her as much as he said he was.

She didn't have time to ponder it, now. Her friend was waiting and he wasn't going to wait forever. He was growing impatient with the sentiments.

"Don't forget me…" he begged.

"Never. Don't you forget me," she replied. Huh. That sounded familiar.

"Impossible."

She started to pull away. " 'Til we meet again, Erik. 'Til we meet again."

_End chapter eight._


	9. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

Lisa stood dejectedly at the time machine's control panel, contemplating her new friend. She was sure they'd meet again. Cesar would know the way to a Gate between Earth and Alnilam, her home planet. All animals that came into contact with her did. It would probably propel him to a time that she was there, knowing those Gates.

As she watched the slow rise and fall of the center column, her eyes trained upon the display for the last time departed.

"Hey," she called, "is this right?"

Her friend looked. "Earth, France, 1861."

"Not 1860?"

"Does it matter?"

"No, I guess not…"

Back in the Opera House, Erik sat in a chair beside his desk, very depressed. Several sketches of Lisa were gathered around him. He'd never forget her. Never. He'd been very tempted to go up to his horse and demand to be returned to her, as absurd as that sounded.

He stood up and started walking towards the gates to his home, but paused in mid-step when he heard a beautiful voice vocalizing up above. He shut his eyes, letting the chords envelop him. He snuck upstairs and hid, trying to find out whom that voice belonged to.

In the little chapel, he saw a beautiful young girl, no more than seven or eight, keeling in front of the candle stand, humming to herself. She lit one of the candles and shut her eyes in prayer.

The name on the candle was _Daaé_.

_The End_


End file.
